For the most
part, Easter was celebrated quite differently in the 50's than it is today.
Easter Sunday was considered a revered time. During the 1950's, more than 90% of people living in the US identified
themselves as Christians. On Easter Sunday, most churches
were overflowing with members and visitors. For some churches
Easter Sunday was their most highly attended service of the year.

Department store
windows were decorated with mannequins wearing
beautiful Easter outfits. On Easter Sunday, ladies were
dressed in pretty suits or dresses, hats,
and many wore white gloves. It
was not unusual for them to be sporting corsages. Men were
always dressed in suits, ties, dress shoes and hats. Young
boys were either dressed in suits, dress shoes and ties, or dress
pants and ties with dress shoes. Young girls wore ruffled
dresses and often Easter bonnets and white gloves.

Dyeing
Easter eggs was a family tradition all children looked
forward to all year long.

Some
families chose to give their children Easter baskets and
have Easter egg hunts in their yards before they went
to church. In other families, church was always
first followed by Easter festivities after church.

Relatives drove for
many miles to spend Easter with their families.
The traditional Easter dinner usually included ham,
deviled eggs, potato salad, a vegetable and a hand
decorated Easter cake.

Other
families chose to celebrate the day with friends and
relatives with a neighborhood picnic. Often times,
families met at local parks to enjoy a picnic together.

One honored
tradition was revived in 1953 when the White House Easter Egg Roll was
held for the first time in over 10 years. Since then it has
become an honored annual tradition.

The 1950's brought with it Easter
Sundays that were focused on the religious meaning of
Easter. Families went to church decked out in
their best finery. Homes were filled with
relatives awaiting the traditional Easter dinner, a
picnic or egg hunt. Easter was truly a big deal in
that era!